Evaluation - Question 1
In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
For the most part I tried to stick with conforming to the
codes and conventions that a horror trailer possesses, for everything from
technical attributes to storyline and even locations and props.
For the technical aspect of the trailer I tried to use
camera angles, editing and use of equipment to conform to the structure and aesthetics that a
horror trailer provides;
Editing
- Fades to Black – Using this helps suggest a shift in time and is a commonly used transition in almost every genre of film. The slow style of the transition and placing text between them helps set the pace of my trailer overall.
- Changing the Lighting – Though I filmed my trailer in the daylight, I edited the lighting using pinnacle to increase the contrast and make the overall shot look darker. This gave the trailer more relevance to its genre and made the fake blood I had used on the actors look more authentic and took away some of the shine that fake blood seems to have.
- Quick Cut Shots – This is a typical technical technique used in horror trailers to emphasise the climatic scenes within the film itself, this is usually shot during Todarov’s idea of the attempt to restore a new sense of equilibrium, more commonly known as the attempt to get rid of the problem and is edited in quick cut transitions to increase the heart rate and build to the peak of the trailer.
- Long Climactic Shot – Almost every trailer, no matter the genre, has a long climactic scene, this is the part in the trailer where you tend to entice the majority of your audience into watching the full length feature and increase the tension of the overall trailer. This shot normally lasts at least a few seconds longer than the shots that keep pace with the music and, usually, only contains diegetic sound or an audible heartbeat. I placed this shot just before the title screen, giving it more chance of being remembered.
- Lower Case Text – This technique is also used in most film trailers as audiences tend to read lower case text faster that upper case text. I also put lower case text in my trailer as putting it in capitals seemed to make the text look like it was shouting and that gave the wrong feel to the subgenre I was going for as it needed to have more of I detached feel instead of an ‘in your face’ horror trailer.
- Music – Music is extremely important in a film trailer as it helps the trailer keep a consistent pace and helps the audience associate with the genre. I used a moderately steady pace of music for the introductory parts of the trailer and then used a quicker beat for the quick cut shots. This created a guideline for how quick the shots should be and allowed them to last the same amount of time, helping to make my trailer look consistent.
- Titles - Mentioning other films is, more often than not, an important convention of film trailers. Stating other films that have already been viewed by large numbers of the audience is a great promotional method as it almost reassures the audience that it has as much entertainment value as a film that has already proved itself.
Camera
- Hand Held Shots - Hand held shots are used regularly in films and trailers and are vital to genres like Horror. When it came to shooting the quick cut shots that built up to the climax, the camera was hand held, for some scenes this was purely for the fact that getting a close up shot at ground level was extremely difficult when using a tripod so a hand held shot was needed. Others, such as the scene with the character attempting to flee, allowed the shot to look more frantic, increasing the fear within the audience, and emphasised that the audience was seeing things from the antagonist's point of view and helped them be more aware of the fear in the characters eyes.
- Panning - Panning is a great way to create movement within a scene, stopping it from looking like a boring still image rather than a motion picture. It also allows the audience to see more of a location and feel like they are watching the characters move through there own eyes rather than looking through a screen as it is unnatural for someone to keep their head still while watching things go on around them, it helps indulge the audience in their curiosity.
- High Angle Shots - This shot is extremely common within the horror genre especially when used for the victim. Using this angle allows the victim to appear small and vulnerable, instantly gaining sympathy for the audience and a want for them to live. When using this in the scene where the audience is seeing from the antagonist's point of view it, in turn, allows them to look bigger and, as a result, more intimidating scary.
- Close Ups - Close ups are constantly used in films and their trailers, whether it be a Romantic comedy, Sci-fi, Adventure/Thriller or Horror, yet seems to give a different effect relative to it's genre. When using this shot in the film trailer it allowed the audience to see the fear within the characters, causing them to become more scared and, during the fast cut shots, created shock due to the subject within the shot being so close, this is effective when it is a close up of a person as people tend to find someone invading their personal space to be quite uncomfortable.
Dracula
Use Of Equipment
- Tripod - Using the tripod was extremely helpful, especially within the introductory shots, as it allowed my trailer to appear more professional and kept the pace of the shots smooth and steady helping it to stay in time with the music and making the editing process a lot easier.
- Light box - The use of a light box was extremely helpful when it came to filming the climactic scene as it was done within a dark room. Turning the regular ceiling light on or using the light from outside would have created too harsh a lighting that would have been impossible to edit without losing the detail within the shot so using a light box gave a soft light that allowed the scene to look like it had been filmed in the dark without losing the detail within the location, the make up used for the hand and the character's expression.
For the narrative part of the trailer and the subject of the storyline itself, the use of things such as props, make-up and the location helped me to conform to the codes and conventions of real horror trailers.
Props
- Props are used in anything and everything and are extremely important when used in a trailer, whatever the genre, with different props creating different effects and reactions from the audience. The use of shovels, clothing and background props such as wood, metal and broken equipment throughout helped depict a clear storyline and allowed the characters to blend in with the overall narrative and allowed them to remain constantly relevant to the genre.
Make-up
- The same can be said when it comes to make up as using things such as fake blood, fake nails, kohl based materials and matte eye shadows to create bruises and dirt helped the trailer look more professional as a whole.
Location
- When it came to the location, the place had to be changed quite early on in the planning of the trailer, it had originally been planned to be at an unused chapel in Garthorpe but had to changed due to it being bought and in the middle of it being renovated into a home. Filming in this location would have been difficult for the actors to get to regularly in the first place due to the costs of transport and having risk of injury being added to the problems caused a change in location to be necessary. The location was then changed to a yard in Swinefleet, this location was easier to get to and from and, while it still posed a slight risk of anyone getting injured, it was a lot safer than the previous location.
- Though having to change the filming location was an inconvenience, making the change so early on in the planning rather than later was fortunate as a storyboard hadn't been made yet so only a minimal amount of paper and notes had to be scrapped.
While I managed to conform to the codes and conventions of a horror trailer for the most part, there were still some aspects of the main product where I had failed to do so or felt it was unnecessary to add and decided to challenge.
Filming in the daylight
- The usual convention of the horror genre is that, for the most part, it is filmed in the dark, creating an atmosphere that emphasises the unknown and pushes the idea that the majority of people are afraid of the dark. There are various reasons due to the trailer being filmed in daylight due to the actors only being available throughout the day because of the actors living in Goole, only being available on the weekends during the day and there being no buses travelling on a night during the weekends. There was also the safety risk as the location would have become a lot more dangerous to walk around due to most of the area lacking any lights.
The Lack of a Voice Over
- Most trailers, horror included, tend to have a spoken narrative either to help with the suspense/atmosphere or to create a clearer storyline. The trailer lacks a voice over as I felt it helped to create a detached feeling that related to its title 'Nowhere To Go' and emphasised the feeling of loneliness, vulnerability and isolation.
Overall I believe, that through the use of both technical and creative aspects, my main product used, developed and challenged the codes and convention of real horror trailers.
